Thursday Evening Roundup and RM update

Happy Punctuation Day!

Didn't get that job you'd apply for? It's only natural to blame the Jews. By the way, if you thought for a second that Middle Eastern politics were getting any less intractable, here's a reality check. Of course, perhaps you also saw or read Qaddafi's speech.

The debate over universal health care evokes the struggle for national parks, or "socialized nature," as some might call them.

The Georgetown Waterfront scene-in is disappointing, lacks the personality of the previous ones. And I disagree with the teacher-- attention to detail can exist and evade expression through clothing.

I found this article very interesting, especially in light of that MSN article I posted a few days ago. With that article, I talked about the elusive middle ground in the realm of body image: you can be conscious without being obsessive. I understand the spectrum, having gone from being oblivious (the first thirty years of my life) to suddenly obsessive and recently reverting to healthily conscious. The issue is in the discourse: there's no socially acknowledged middle ground-- you're either weight-conscious or carefree, and the latter is now cool. For me, it's been almost liberating to have to think about what I eat. I grew up learning to eat fast so I could manage to put away the amount of food that my parents through at me; I had to make excuses for not eating more at any point. I never needed that much food. It was actually pretty unhealthy to eat the way I did, even though I ate primarily healthy food. I still ate too much. It's liberating to eat just enough, to think, "do I need this or even want it?" I recall a video clip--perhaps I saw it on a flight--of Paris Hilton shopping. She was binge-shopping: indiscriminately pulling things off the rack. Makes sense, I guess-- binge now, have your stylist sort later. Most of us don't have that luxury, and in a way, that's a good thing: you have to think, do I need this in my closet? Do I want it? I'd love the luxury of being able to afford the really good stuff, and that holds in my analogy, but I think there's something to be said for eating mindfully. And having to think about how overeating will have an immediate impact on how I fit into my clothes alters the cost-benefit analysis of addressing emotions with food--it adds a clear cost. It's a good thing to think twice before turning to food out of boredom, frustration, or the slew of emotions that being around my mother brings out in me.

Anyway, I thought it was telling that the writer in the Times piece talked about how until you start keeping a food diary, you have no idea how much you're eating and it's easy to think that you don't eat a lot. Couple that with this study, which found that the vast majority of obese people don't realize they're obese.

Speaking of food, RM had brought back a box of chocolates from his last trip. Rather than handing it to me, he put it on the dining room table. I felt no social obligation to acknowledge it as a gift or even recognize it as such, because I've made it clear to him--after being gracious the first time and less so thereafter--that I'm cutting back on chocolate. Yesterday, he said, "I'm trying to tempt you subtly this time." I replied that I wasn't tempted at all, and it's true: I couldn't care less about the chocolate. I just don't want it. I still *like* chocolate--I have chocolate almost every day--but I don't want over-processed, high fructose corn syruped chocolate. It's just not appetizing.

Of course, the bigger issue is whatever the hell RM was thinking: why would you do that? Why would you give someone chocolate when they've made it clear they don't appreciate gifts of chocolate? Isn't that just disrespectful and manipulative, especially if it were tempting? I mean, if I were deliberately keeping something out of my house, why would you bring it in? Look, dude: you're not going to win me over. You're not going to win me over to the cause of extroversion; you're not going to persuade me, with your bubbly personality, that I was wrong all along and I really want to be your friend. And there are people from whom I do appreciate all gifts, including boxes of chocolate, and you're not one of them, so back off.

On a happier dessert-related note, these are so much more exciting than cupcakes: